Silver Knives
by AstronomicalDragon
Summary: Ryou knew life was never exactly simple, but this was just ridiculous. Then again, when your daily routine is interrupted by the appearance of what could only be described as a sexy poltergeist, there's not much you can do but roll with it. That is, until something much darker emerges from the woodwork.
1. An unfortunate Purchase

It was a good day. As good as they got, anyway. Ryou had gotten up early, deciding that a walk would soothe his still tired mind.

He wandered while breathing the cool morning air, feeling eerily calm. Sleep hadn't come easy for a while so he was used to being in a state of constant tiredness, drifting along through his days. As he walked he watched cars driving to unknown destinations and sleepy strangers trying to yawn their troubles away. He felt at peace then, staying idle in his thoughts and going wherever his feet decided to take him.

Going home would just ruin his mood – the empty house held no comfort for him, it felt suffocating. The walls often felt like they were closing in on him when he was alone. So instead Ryou resolved to walk for hours, until his feet hurt too much to carry on.

He strolled past the park he used to play in as a child, past the school where he had spent a majority of his teen years and though the village centre, surrounded by bright signs and coffee shops that smelt so compelling he nearly stopped at one. He took a detour from the main road where the hospital was, he wasn't ready to face that place and the memories that came along with it.

Walking on and hoping time would never catch up to him, Ryou wasn't even aware of where he was until a stranger bumped into him, breaking him out of the stupor. Ryou looked up to see the man raise a hand in apology as he continued walking away in a hurried pace. Ryou smiled kindly with a nod and looked around.

His feet hurt, but he'd just about made it to town centre. He could even hear the chatter from the market a few streets down. The market was a good place for finding things for cheap, so he decided that a trip there couldn't hurt. Cheap was good, and he'd happened to bring his wallet along just in case.

He walked around for a while, picking up some scented candles and a bunch of foods and candy. The bags were getting heavy and he realised that if he got any more stuff he simply wouldn't be able to carry it all home.

Ryou called quits and was on his way out of the market when a certain stall caught his attention.

A woman sat behind the stall, looking idle. Before her stretched out a table full of many bits and pieces connected to the occult. Ryou had always had a fascination with the occult and everything it was connected to, so the selection of tomes, amulets and other items excited him greatly. He made his way over to the stall with a smile and an awkward wave at the woman, whose eyes flickered over him for a second before flickering back to some heavy tome she held in her hands.

He was the only one at the stall. He spent several leisured minutes looking over all the bric-a-brac before catching the woman staring at him though his peripheral vision.

She would squint at him for a few seconds before directing her gaze to something under the table. Ryou ignored it. He had no business with her other than if he was interested in buying one of the items displayed before him. He figured for a couple of seconds whether the tome resting in his hands was worth the tenner on the price tag. It seemed to be a detailed history of Wicca, and as far as he could tell it was an antique edition. The book had that satisfying aged feel to it. Then again, money was dear when his father was god knows where trying to make a living.

He looked back at the woman and froze a little when he found her still staring at him through makeup heavy dark eyes. It felt almost like she was staring right into his soul and it made him want to shrivel up and make sure he was as far away as possible from those hollow eyes. He flickered his gaze down to the tome feeling conflicted. He didn't want to talk to her. Still, the book was good and if he could manage to lower its price it would be even better.

"Uh, is it possible to maybe," he looked up to meet the woman's scowl, "buy this for a bit less?" Her expression unnerved him. It made him feel completely alienated. He watched her consider his words for a moment before she broke into a wholly unpleasant toothy grin.

"I wonder," her voice grated on his ears like a knife at his skull. "Is it? Listen boy, that book _is_ a one of a kind. It'd be a shame to let it go for any less really." Her accent was foreign, though Ryou couldn't put a finger to its origin. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He knew she wasn't done but suddenly he didn't want to hear a single thing she had to say. "Though, I could strike a deal with you." Her eyes held a glimmer to them, like she knew something he didn't. She reached down under the table and dragged out a wooden slab.

Sweeping everything else aside, she set it down. Ryou recognised the design of an Ouija board etched into it. He felt his hand sneak up to scratch the corner of his mouth.

"If you buy it, I'll give you the tome for free." She smiled and he narrowed his eyes. There had to be a catch. Somehow he couldn't imagine this woman being kind in any way.

"Well, that depends on the price of the board, really." She'd probably charge a fortune for it. Though, as Ryou let his eyes sweep over the board he couldn't help but notice how exquisite the craftsmanship was. The carving was delicate and beautifully done, and the board itself was a deep, attractive reddish colour. He guessed it might have been rosewood. He nearly reached out to trace along the surface of the wood to feel the indents of the carving but felt the woman's glare still on him.

He looked up at her reluctantly.

"A twenty." She said.

Ryou tried to let it sink in. No way. No way would she let go of it for so cheap, along with the novel too. There had to be a catch. Why would she be so eager to get it off her hands? The board was obviously an antique, and a well-made one at that. She could fetch a hefty price for it from some collector. He sighed. Her reasons didn't matter. She was willing to sell it for cheap and he sure as hell was going to buy it for cheap.

"I'll take it." _Before she has a chance to change her mind_ , he thought to himself. He shuffled around in his wallet and got out two tenners. He put them on the table and slid them over to her before retreating his hand. "I don't suppose you have a bag, do you?" He asked. She smirked and reached for a fabric shoulder bag covered in pagan symbols.

"It's a fiver." She said as he reached for it. Ryou sighed and rolled his eyes in his mind. Of course it was. He fetched a fiver, put it on the table and hurriedly stuffed both the board and the book into the bag.

"Thank you," He said as he walked away, for the sake of politeness more than anything else. He was rather eager to go home and away from her menacing glower.

The woman watched him as he dissolved into the crowd before leaning back and having a laugh to herself. The stupid boy was going to get a nasty surprise once he played the board. Having the damn thing off her hands was a joy undescribed.

Meanwhile Ryou walked away feeling rather satisfied with the day's gets. His feet still ached so he hopped on the bus and went up onto the second deck and straight to the back. It was usually his favourite place to ride in, and since it was a weekday noon there weren't many people on the bus, meaning it was free.

He looked out of the window at the October sky. There were clouds on the horizon but for now the sun remained put, shining into his eyes. He had a feeling that wouldn't last, considering the temperament of the typical English weather.

Remembering his buys he reached to gingerly slide the Ouija board out of the bag. The board was indeed beautifully made, the designs compelling and detailed. Ryou skimmed his fingers over every curve and angle of the sharp designs. He contemplated playing it that night. Sure, he knew of all the dangers that came with it, but he was no fool and he knew how to avoid troublesome incidents.

Maybe he'd be able to talk to someone he knew. Maybe not. Some things he wasn't ready to face just yet. It would be an interesting way to pass the time nonetheless.

He placed the board back in his bag and bought it closer to his chest, almost embracing it. Nothing bad would happen.

Watching the familiar streets go by, Ryou quickly became entranced by the motion of his own steaming breath fogging the window. He was watching the spread and retreat of whiteness on the glass so intensely he jolted in realisation when the bus drove past his own road, pressed a stop button and raced down the narrow stairs, coming to the doors just as the bus pulled in. The driver gave him a weird glance from under his glasses and Ryou gave an awkward smile and a muttered 'thank you' on his way out.

It took him under a minute to get home, his breath steaming as he hurried down the sidewalk, eager to be back in a warm building. Glad to get his feet up on the sofa he settled for watching a little bit of TV as he warmed up under a woollen cover. The bags were set down a little ways from him, at the entrance to the living room. He supposed it was alright to at least get the feeling back into his legs before sorting them.

As he switched between channels he wished for a cup of tea, yet felt no desire to get up from beneath his comforting wonderland. Oh yes, living alone definitely had its losses. He wished for Amane's company back.

He felt himself drifting off to the sound of the chatter of some TV show host, the images running along the screen looking dull and unrefined. Switching off the TV Ryou decided to crash on the couch. Getting upstairs seemed like way too much effort. So he snuggled up under his temporary blanket and closed his eyes, letting sleep take him.

Groggily opening his eyes Ryou found only darkness and the artificial glow of a streetlamp spilling into the room through the window. It was late. His nap must have taken longer than he expected, he mused as he sat up and stretched. He winced as the muscles in his back ached from curling in on himself in his sleep.

Ryou got up and started his way to the kitchen, only to stumble upon his forgotten bags, barely catching himself from falling flat on his face. If there was anyone around he might have even been a little embarrassed.

He picked the bags up and set them on the couch instead, and went off into the kitchen – feeling very much like a cup of tea.

When he returned he set the cup down and turned to the bags, his eyes instantly falling on the shape of the Ouija which was wedged between the tome and some candles. He set down his cup and popped himself down, taking it out, turning it this way and that in his hands.

There was a large burn stain on the back of it. The charred wood took up a three quarters of the board. Maybe this was the reason the woman was so eager to get rid of it? Ryou had heard plenty of stories of people trying to burn boards due to unpleasant experiences with a spirit or demon, so he supposed it was alright.

He set about pushing the coffee table to the edge of the room and clearing a space on the floor. Closing the curtains he looked around for candles to use, though only the rose scented ones he bought that day peeked out at him from the couch. He sighed and supposed they'd have to do. He set them up around the room and strode upstairs for paper and a pen.

Once he returned he finally plopped down the Ouija in the middle of the arrangement, feeling quite proud of himself.

Springing onto the floor next to the Ouija he sat cross-legged, placing his fingers on the planchette.

Ryou concentrated.

He closed his eyes even though his eyelids shook a little.

He murmured a ' _what's the worst that could happen_ ' under his breath.

Tentatively he began to move the planchette in a circular motion, waiting for the tell-tale tug of another's hands.

A minute passed. Ryou frowned. Another went by. Ryou bit his lip.

It seemed he wasn't having much luck tonight. He shook his head and wondered why he even tried – this wasn't a ritual typically undertaken on one's own anyway.

Maybe it'd be better to try on a different night.

He moved to take his fingers off the planchette and let out a heavy sigh.

It jolted.

* * *

Writing this story really got my /spirits/ up :D

Please comment if you liked it - I have the next few chapters written up already and if this gets a good response I'll post them quicker.


	2. Seance

Ryou's eyes widened.

Had that been a trick of the light? A simple illusion of the gaze? No, the scratching sound he heard the planchette make as it jumped from his fingers meant it was anything but.

Someone else had moved the flimsy piece of wood. Meaning he was in the presence of a spirit. He nudged the planchette again just to make sure.

Feeling an enticing pull to be connected to the board he placed the pointer and middle fingers of each hand on the wooden piece, immediately feeling the tug of something else putting from the other end.

His tongue darted out to wet his lips and he forced himself to go completely still and slack, allowing whatever it was in control of the planchette to move it with freedom. His pale hands followed the spiral pattern being formed across the glossy auburn surface of the board, forming a stark contrast strong enough to hypnotise.

His hands obeyed the pattern long enough to form several rings, an endless crescendo from corner to corner, before he realised that maybe he was the one that needed to make the first move.

"Hello?" He called out, feeling a little stupid for talking to himself in what appeared to be a room empty of other life forms. Then again, there was no one here to judge him other than his own four walls.

He hadn't even noticed that he was nervous until he heard the waver in his own voice, which in turn just lodged his heart deeper in his throat.

At last, the planchette stilled, and began moving anew with a purpose and direction, as if the spirit was calculating every move long before it made it.

The hollow circle carved out of the wood stopped at 'H', and though Ryou could hazard a guess to what the first word was going to be, he felt it'd be appropriate to document the whole exchange with as much accuracy as possible.

With that thought in mind he went to reach for the pen lying a little to the left of him, only to find there was no way to tear his fingers away from the planchette. He frowned and tried again. He'd read more than his fair share of books on the occult and this was definitely something new.

Something not meant to happen.

Naturally, this did not bode well with him – after all abnormalities such as this often lead to danger.

Though maybe the pressure would let up once the spirit had finished its thought.

Ryou watched like a hawk as the planchette crawled from the 'H' to the 'E', gave a double 'L' and proceeded to the 'O'.

'Oh great,' Ryou thought, 'This thing is actually real.'

He was ready to move onto his own response, but the planchette only continued gliding across the polished surface.

It spelled out 'A-G-A-I-N'. And then, seemingly just for the extra mile, 'S-W-E-E-T-H-E-A-R-T.'

Ryou was… confused.

What did it mean by 'again'? He was pretty sure he wasn't in the direct acquaintance on any random spirits. Unless… No, it couldn't be. She had no regrets to stick around for.

Then again, what in the world did it mean by 'sweetheart'? That couldn't have been a normal thing for a spirit to say. Ryou furrowed his brow, he had a bad feeling about the ghostly apparition already.

"Who are you?" He asked it, trying to keep calm despite his increasing heartrate.

There was a pause, and it irked Ryou to feel the pressure in the room build. It may have been his imagination, but it was almost like the candles around him were flickering more than before.

Reluctantly, the planchette began to move again, gaining speed as it passed over the letters, enough so that Ryou was beginning to struggle to keep track of the message it relayed.

'H-O-W I H-A-V-E M-I-S-S-E-D Y-O-U.' The letters sang to him, and Ryou clenched his teeth. It seemed like whoever was on the other end of the line, they weren't willing to be cooperative.

He jumped as he felt an unnatural chill trace his spine, almost as if cold fingers were caressing his skin, and the back of his neck prickled at the feeling of icy breath that seemed far too real to him. He whipped his head around instinctively, but like he expected there was nothing behind him other than more candles and the bare walls of his living room.

His breaths were coming short and rapid, his heart beating against his sternum like a caged bird.

He swallowed down the mild panic and repeated his question with utmost clarity.

"Who are you, spirit?" He asked.

'S-U-P-P-O-S-E I A-M A-N O-L-D F-R-I-E-N-D.' Was the answer he received, and Ryou's anger momentarily overpowered his fright as he smiled in annoyance. This was one vague asshole, huh? The so-called answer only lead Ryou to come up with ten more questions, but he refused to be pulled into a whirlwind of confusion.

"What does that mean?" He questioned the spirit, his voice breaking slightly as another foreboding chill skirted past him, dragging some of the candle flames into the darkness with it. Only several remained, and the darkness began to seep into a tighter circle around him. Ryou's already overactive imagination began to fill in the corners with moving shadows and depraved eyes.

His hands jerked at the cold but his fingers were still glued to the wooden slab with immense force.

"Hey!" He cried into the gloom, "Let me go!" Yet the pressure did not let up, only spread up his arms, forcing him to almost kneel to the Ouija. He felt bound like that, kneeling on the floor with no way to escape the bondage – yet he could see nothing that could possibly be keeping his stuck still.

The piece began to move again.

'Y-O-U D-O-N-T N-E-E-D T-O W-O-R-R-Y A-B-O-U-T W-H-O I A-M.' It told him. 'Y-O-U W-I-L-L B-E G-O-N-E S-O-O-N E-N-O-U-G-H.' Ryou shuddered as another one of the candles went out. There were only three left.

"What are you doing?!" He screamed, trying to lift his body away from the wooden board, or move the planchette, or anything, to no avail.

'E-N-D-I-N-G T-H-I-S C-U-R-S-E.' The board informed him, and Ryou felt mad with rage as another small flame was smothered. What did any of this have to do with him?!

"Let me go." He tried again, failing to keep his voice steady. His life could be in danger, he realised. This was no longer a cheap scare.

He watched the movement on the board with hazy eyes.

'S-O-O-N E-N-O-U-G-H.' Was the message, and Ryou couldn't help but notice rapid movement at the edges of his peripherals, a shadow that seemed even blacker than the tepid darkness around it. He gulped as he felt cold sweat glide seamlessly down his spine and his hands shook in their shackled position.

Whatever the thing at the edges of his vision was, it was never in the same place twice, yet never at a fixed point either. It was all around him, yet never in the precise direction that his eyes happened to throw themselves. Another candle went out as he tried and failed to keep up with the movement. Only one was left, stood weak and alone just above the Ouija board. If offered little comfort.

Flashes of something metallic at the edges of his vision caught Ryou's attention, and he struggled once more to rid himself of the building pressure that was seeping from his fingers to his whole body.

With a growing dread as heavy as stone in his heart he realised that the weak flame was the only thing holding the lurking creature at bay.

Ryou also knew that the flame was about to die.

Yet, in the split second that it snuffed out and the darkness rushed towards him like a beast broken free from its cage, three things happened:

One – The force holding Ryou's hands down on the board disappeared.

Two –An instinct raced inside him and screamed at Ryou to twist his body down and around, which he did recklessly.

Three – Something flashed in the darkness and a sharp pain sliced through his hand, where his body had been just moments before.

His rush of adrenaline prevented him from feeling any pain.

Quickly as that, the unnatural darkness dissolved, leaving only the grubby dark of Ryou's own living room, disturbed only by stray strands of yellow light coming from the streetlamps peeking around the lime green curtains.

Ryou was too far gone to acknowledge his apparent safety. Just as the eerie darkness of the ritual left, he was shrouded in the much more comfortable darkness of his own mind. His eyelashes fluttered shut, and he accepted the black out with a measure of gratefulness.

He awoke to an excruciating headache, like a thousand needles stabbing at his temples. As he slowly approached consciousness Ryou did his best to pry open heavy eyelids. The room was a muted dark around him and the wooden plank lay some distance away.

It looked innocent in the gloom.

Ryou decided it was best at this point not to judge by looks.

He attempted to crawl up and collapsed back down immediately, smearing what seemed to be a pool of dried blood across the wooden floor. He stared at it blankly for several seconds before his brain actually kicked in and he lifted his right hand to stare at what looked to him like a knife wound.

Was this what a hangover felt like, he wondered as he stared at the redness slowly seeping out of the reopened cut. He closed his eyes and exhaled.

A coffee, he decided. A coffee is what I need. Tea isn't going to fix this. The realisation was motivation enough that he managed to stand and stumbled his way into the kitchen, board forgotten.

He set about making himself a drink, leaving a blood trail on everything he touched. He'd have to clean up before any of his friends decided to visit.

A godly cup of coffee later found Ryou sat on the edge of the kitchen counter, clutching the empty mug like a lifeline. It struck him that whatever had happened to him the previous night could change his life forever. Back then he'd been positive that it would end it.

Ryou knew something was wrong, though. He felt different. The throbbing hand aside he felt a steady gloom had worked its way into his mind. A looming presence that indicated nothing, as of yet. There was something just at the edge of his reach, so deep in his mind he couldn't quite grasp it.

It set him on edge. So he made another coffee and decided not to think about it too hard. Turns out that hurt to do with a headache.

Bandaging his hand with gauze from a dusty first aid kit he dug up out of the back of a forgotten cabinet, he wondered what to do next.

He could always call Yugi, but the other boy was out of town for the week. Maybe check out the closest exorcists on craigslist? He grinned at the thought - surely they'd all be scammers trying to monopolise on some sad sap's delusions.

He walked back to the living room and swept the curtains open. A small part of the suffocation left the room, waving it's goodbyes from the door as if it would miss him, promising to be back before long. He ignored it in favour of turning his attention to the Ouija board.

He tried glaring at it. Flipping the finger at it. He may have even blown a raspberry.

It did not react.

Not so scary now that it's daytime, huh? He thought. Does the sunshine offend Mr. Vague Demon Asshole?

He left the room to pick up a broom. When he returned, he could have sworn the board had moved just slightly. He chalked it up to his paranoia going out of control.

Turning the broom handle side towards the board, he nudged it once. Then a bit more. The board remained a simple wooden plank, unresponding and non-hostile.

He felt a little stupid, it was almost as if the thing was laughing at his fear, pointing a polished finger at him in mockery.

Ryou would have laughed right back at it, only the bandage on his hand reminded him that this was his reality now, and there was nothing Ryou found particularly funny about it. Maybe he would in time, but right now the whole situation was just ridiculous. He was poking a dead piece of wood with another dead piece of wood in the fear that there was a dead person attached to one of the pieces of wood. Shit, what if spirits could travel through wood? He dropped the broom.

Then he laughed at himself. Was that too much coffee too fast? He was feeling a little manic.

Getting himself together, he picked the board up with wary fingertips, lips pressed in a thin line. Its intricate design wasn't as captivating as it had been the day before. He walked it to the kitchen and out the back door, only to toss it into the recycling bin. Maybe if the shadow was still in there it would get torn to shreds and made into a thousand other stupid items. End up as someone's toothpick. Fancy that. The thought really appealed to Ryou.

The rest of the day he spent tidying the living room (his blood hadn't been as hard to scrub off the floor as he would have imagined), taking a warm shower and simply sitting around. His limbs didn't want to take him out of the doorway but by early evening he had to relent to the hunger.

He still looked terrible but dressed anyway, pinning his hair in a bun and slipping on a beanie with a holographic ghost printed on it. There was a streak of red on one lock of his hair, and he had no idea how it got there. He tucked it in and set out to Tesco's. What would sister think? He asked himself but only shrugged – she wasn't here to judge.

When he got back after the uneventful trip and opened his door, the plastic bag full of a frozen pizza and canned coffee flailed free of his fingers and slammed to the floor. The 'shadow' from last night floated lazily before him.

Except the shadow was not actually a shadow at all.

It was a ghost, he concluded, because there was no other was for it to look quite so human. It had human eyes and human skin and heavy bags under its grey eyes. Human lips curled into a sneer which exposed straight, white, human teeth. Human hair the colour of clouds swam over its head, tangling in the chain that held up a golden pendant in the shape of a pyramid from its neck.

It had an awful grin plastered like a badge of honour on its face. Ryou was immediately reminded of a high school bully about to make someone's life miserable.

"You look fucking terrible." It purred, and the voice was human too, with the raspy quality of someone who had just woken up from a long slumber. The only reason Ryou hadn't thought there was a burglar in his house at first glance was the way the ghost floated a few inches above the ground, not to mention how he could sort of see his kitchen through its body.

The front door slammed shut behind him. He hadn't even moved.

The teenager knew that if he showed weakness to the thing in front of him the interaction would not end well for him.

"Yeah, I am feeling pretty under the weather," He agreed, licking his lips. The ghost's eyes were fixed to the motion.

"We can fix that." The floating figure before him replied. It never moved as Ryou was dragged forward till only inches separated his own eyes from the incriminating gaze of the intruder. "And then," it continued, "I will take your body for my own."

Ryou spluttered.

"Excuse me?!" He said. This ghost was fucking insane. Here it was, in Ryou's house, demanding to – to what, exactly?

He tore himself from the invisible grip in his rage and missed the way the spirit's eyes widened briefly.

"I believe I was rather clear." It hissed, crossing its arms over its chest and floating just a little higher, closer. Ryou was not impressed.

"You have until tomorrow to leave." He said with a conviction he didn't even know he had. "Or I'll call an exorcist. Or a priest. Whatever – the point is, you're leaving whether you like it or not!" He exclaimed, waving his uninjured hand around. "See," he continued, "I'm even giving you a warning. That's as polite as it gets when you bum your way into someone's life like this!"

The ghost was giving him a strange look.

Ryou felt this was highly unfair.

"You…" The ghost looked like he had to recollect himself. "You don't actually think that's gonna work, do you?" He asked. A slow smile replaced the grin that previously adorned his face.

Ryou shrugged.

"Always worth try." He admitted, weighing the figure before him up.

"I'll win, Ryou." It told him while cocking its head to the side. It took Ryou a moment to process what was said.

"How do you know my name?!" He asked, but the figure disappeared before he'd even finished his sentence.

Staring at the empty space before him in confusion he concluded that it may be time to move house.

Nevertheless, he spent the rest of his evening trying to find a promising exorcist online. Needless to say it was a fruitless effort.

He went to bed that night the most confused that he'd ever been in his life. The thought that the ghost may use the time he was asleep to strike kept him awake for the majority of it.

* * *

This chapter has been quite the... spiritual awakening, eh?  
This was so much fun to write! What kind of troubles will Bakura cause for Ryou, I wonder?  
As always, a comment makes a dream come true so please tell me whether you liked it! The next chapter is already written up but how fast it's uploaded all depends on u *wink wink*  
Also, hit me up on tumblr at ttough.


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